Let It Go
by Lapis Love
Summary: Readers choice. Ever wanted to have your way with the direction a fanfic is going? Here's your chance. You get to decide what comes next as Bonnie Bennett's present clashes with her past in a classic fight for her heart, among other things. AU story set in no verse of the show. Things unfurl as her fate lies in your hands.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Sometimes things just jump in me and I have to get it out. This time around I'm letting you guys decide what's coming next. This story won't be long, maybe 2-3 chapters depending on my muse and of course your input. Read on!**

Disclaimer: These characters belong to their respective owners. LJ Smith/CW. Copyright infringement is not intended.

* * *

"I'm in love with him!"

"I don't care."

Green eyes doubled in size. "You need to care because if you were standing in his shoes and someone else was trying to invalidate my reasons for loving _you_, how would that make you feel?"

Some of the heat left his eyes, but not a whole lot. They still burned like charcoal and wood emitting the right amount of heat. It made her shiver, but also made butterflies take off in her stomach. She disregarded that in favor of remaining objective.

"Just like I thought," she sniffled haughtily. "I can't do this anymore. We had our chance. That part of our lives is over and needs to remain dead," she managed to take two steps away before her arm was seized and she was gently but firmly jerked back.

"No, what we had then we didn't understand. We let pride and insecurities get in the way, but it doesn't have to be like that now. I'm not the same twenty-two year old selfish bastard who only thought with his dick. I can love you, I _do _love you," he argued fervently.

Bonnie became still. So still her chest and shoulders didn't even move an inch as she breathed deeply through her nose. Years had come, gone, faded, turned a corner while she waited for some small indication from him that he loved her. She had taken up space on the sidelines watching him love other women—some passionately, others only for one night. When it came to her, if he didn't treat her with indifference then he merely used her in place of the woman who truly possessed his heart.

She had fallen without cause or a real reason because he had offered nothing of himself other than his body and the instrument between his legs that provided the only real substance between them. But not even that could she call her own.

To hear him now proclaim to love her, Bonnie wanted to cry, scream, dance, but most importantly slap him clear across the face.

She shook her head and wrenched her arm free of his tight grip, and put even more space between them.

He observed, helplessly knowing that Bonnie was retreating within herself, going to a place he wouldn't be able to reach. He knew it had been a crap shot thinking he could just pop back up into her life, they'd take one look at each other and everything would instantly go back to the way they had been before. People changed and so did their desires.

Yes, he had seen with his own two eyes the chemistry, the heat, and yuck the love she had for _him, _but he was willing to bet his entire life savings on the fact that buried deep down underneath the surface she still loved him, still wanted to be with him, still craved his touch.

"Bonnie…"

She took another step back and when she looked at him, her eyes were watery. "You don't know me to say you love me."

"And he does!" he challenged heatedly. "I know for a fact the two of you have only known each other for five minutes. I've known you for years!"

"The length of time doesn't matter as much as the quality of time spent together. You've known me for years, yes there's no denying that. But how many deep conversations in those years have we had? How many dates did we go out on? How many trips did we take? How many quiet nights did we spend together laying out all our baggage on the table? Don't confuse fucking with love."

He hung his head unable to refute a single word she said. Their relationship hadn't actually been a real relationship where he picked her up and they painted the town red. If he was bored and couldn't get a hold of anyone else that's when he would call her up and sweet talk his way between her legs. He used her and forgot about her literally seconds after busting a sexually frustrated nut.

Yet, there had been those times where she fell asleep after their strenuous body banging sessions, and he would just…watch her breathe in and out slowly, and counted her heartbeats through her pulse, and wondered what she dreamt about. There had been times when he was out in a crowd, and loneliness would hit him and he'd pull his phone out to text her, or dial her up just to hear her voice. Yet he'd promptly let her down after hearing that hopeful infection that he wanted to spend time with her outside of the bedroom by quickly ending the call feigning he was in the middle of something.

He thought about her even in the company of the girl he had convinced himself he madly loved.

Of course he never divulged any of that to the green-eyed caramel girl who managed to do what others before her failed to do. Burrowed inside his mind, corrupted his heart to the point only her love was the antidote. Believe him, he kicked his own ass in not realizing this truth sooner and sparing them both lonely nights being separated from the person they loved. He had doubts, but he also _knew _her. No matter what her mouth said or her body language for that matter, Bonnie was still just as affected by his presence as he was hers.

It was taking everything within him to restrain himself, but he never had much restraint on a carnal level when it came to her. Bonnie heated his blood, and his loins could never pipe down and rest if she were in the same room.

The air was thickening with tension. The kind that was palpable and could smack an unsuspecting person in the face.

Bonnie felt the change and sucked air through her teeth before putting even more space between them. That flutter in her gut turned into a tidal wave that was heading south. She could feel the lips of her pussy loosening due to the moisture building there.

"I was an asshole to you, Bonnie," he confessed quietly, softly. "And I know the guy you're with is no picnic on an average day. If you can love someone like him and not me…I refuse to think or believe things are finished between us."

Bonnie snorted and defensively folded her arms over her chest, ignoring how confined her breasts suddenly felt in her bra. She hated the fact her body was responding to his nearness willing to surrender itself to such an undeserving bastard.

"Things were finished the moment I left Virginia. Why are you really here?"

"I'm here for business. I didn't think I'd run into you, but I'm glad I did. You just provided another incentive for me to stay."

Her eyes narrowed into slits then. "I'm not a toy or a trophy to be won or fought over."

"You should be fought over," he ratified and began to close the distance between them.

"Stop."

"You should be pursued. Spoiled. Made into the ultimate priority. You should know every second of the day of every hour how much you're wanted, desired."

Bonnie held out her hand to get him to stop moving forward and nearly whimpered when it landed against his chest, his pectoral to be more precise. The muscle contracted under her touch and that transported her back to lazy summer nights where her chest had been crushed under the weight of his as he churned his hips, rutting into her pussy at a deliciously teasing pace that she could never catch her breath.

His hand enclosed over hers, brought it up where he laid a gentle kiss on her knuckles, and then he boldly slid her hand down the length of his tight abdomen allowing her to feel every knotted muscle he spent hours conditioning and building.

_Oh God! He feels even more amazing than he did four years ago, _inwardly she bit her lip.

Bonnie managed to wrestle her hand away once her fingers crashed into the button of his jeans.

He grinned wickedly while she rolled her eyes. Bonnie resisted rubbing her palm to erase that phantom sensation of touching him.

"I'm in love with him," Bonnie repeated. "I don't care if you believe me or not. You had your chance, _several _chances and you blundered them all. I won't lie and say it's not nice to see you. It is, but we can't get back what we had, and truthfully I don't want any part of what we had because it had been one-sided from the start."

"Then let me fix it. Give me a chance to prove to you that I'm serious about this, about you, about _us_, Bonnie," he cleared the distance between them and slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

She braced both hands on his chest—fighting. Fighting old feelings that were clamoring out of their closet, and fighting to get away from the man she had unrequitedly given her heart to, and worked overtime to get it back.

Bonnie made the mistake of looking him directly in the eye, losing her train of thought and releasing the thread of her resolve.

He carefully lifted his hand and cupped her cheek. Her skin was as soft if not softer than the last time he had the privilege of touching it. From the dimple above her eyebrow he knew she was crumbling. All he need do is push.

His head lowered, lips separated to the point his intent was more than abundantly clear. Bonnie gasped inaudibly and braced herself though alarms were blaring in her ears to wrench herself free and leave his ass in a cloud of dust. He deserved it. He couldn't just spring back into her life and think he had a shot with her simply because he convinced himself he loved her. It didn't work like that.

A voice cleared and Bonnie panicked. She jerked away, way too late and swiveled to face the entryway to the room. Shame made color rise to her cheeks as she placed more distance between herself and her former lover while keeping her gaze locked on her present one.

"Mind telling me what the fuck is going on?"

Chapter end.

**A/N: It's go time. I'm taking a poll and if I weren't so lazy I'd construct a real poll for you guys to vote, but I want you guys to tell me your picks: who Bonnie is currently with and who wants her back. In addition to that, I want to know if you'd like to see a flashback between Bonnie and her ex, or for the story to continue forward in present time. And characters can come from any fandom, not just strictly TVD-verse though I should warn you I'm not as familiar with a lot of other characters. So, for example, if majority rules on a character outside of my area of expertise, I'll let you know right now I'll be writing my take on that individual and now how they are in canon. Have fun! Thanks for reading. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Aloha. A tremendous thank you to those who participated in the vote and read this little fable of mine. I love you, guys! I thought leaving the big decision in your hands would make my job easier, oh boy, lol. Kinda didn't happen since Mr. Damon held the lead in being both Bonnie's current and ex. I wanted to do something new as well, but also uphold the votes. I didn't exactly find that medium, but read on to see how things unfold. Enjoy! Oh and I forgot to mention this is all human. Sorry.**

Disclaimer: These characters are the property of their prospective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.

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**Earlier that night…**

It had become compulsory to follow her. To lock on to her scent and chase after it. One minute he had been standing on a San Francisco street corner after a dinner meeting, turning up the lapels of his coat to ward off a chilly gale wind, turned his head and there she was. Slipping out of a stretch Bentley covered in a svelte flesh tone gown encrusted with hundreds of carefully placed Swarovski crystals. Every single part of him became rigid right there on the spot. His eyes didn't blink. His lungs didn't inhale a single drop of oxygen. He stared and willed her to look in his direction and when that failed to happen, when he saw her reach for the hand of her companion who stepped out of the limo, Damon Salvatore made up his mind right there and then.

He wasn't going to return home empty handed.

Damon watched carefully as Bonnie, her new boyfriend Klaus Mikaelson and her roommate walk to a private entrance of the club that was super exclusive you had to be invited to attend. This wasn't a place where one could flash a little cash in hopes of sweet talking the bouncer to cut you a break and allow you admittance. Only the upper crust of the world was the target demographic.

Thankfully one of the men he was hoping to do business with had loaned him a special invite.

Decision made, Damon hailed a cab back to his hotel room, ditched his jeans and black T-shirt for a tailored suit, shaved, and gelled back his hair.

At first he thought he could handle it. Could handle watching the woman he's come to love from a distance be with someone else. Yet fire breathed new life into him, and he couldn't allow Bonnie to live one more minute without knowing the truth.

A truth some would say was coming several years too late. Better late than never, was Damon's new philosophy.

Forty minutes later, pulling his DB9 up to the valet, he flashed his special hologram invite and was given access to Club Hellfire.

There were three levels to the club. The main level was the lounge area where clients could feast on international and domestic cuisine prepared by some of the most talented chefs California had to offer, or drink their liver to cirrhosis on the finest imported booze. The second level was dedicated to the dance club, and on the third was the casino.

Damon knew what men like Klaus Mikaelson's forte was. He would escort Bonnie upstairs to show her off among the multitude then make his way to the casino and burn through hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Money, living the high life, being sheltered didn't impress Bonnie. She rather attend a backyard celebration than a soiree. Gifts from the heart trumped anything with a large price tag attached to it.

She might accuse him of not paying her much attention, might even say he treated her like a vagina with legs and shamefully at times he had, but he knew things about Bonnie that Damon was hoping she hadn't shared with Mikaelson.

If he could get her alone for five minutes, Damon was positive he could convince Bonnie to give him a second chance. He ran from their piping hot chemistry four years ago because he thought he loved someone else. Someone who could surpass all the other women who had come and gone out of his life. But that had been a placebo compared to how simply being around Bonnie made him feel; and because it had been so strong, so potent, he ran like a scared crow.

But what did he know about loving someone at twenty-two when he had a hard time loving himself?

Women dressed in lingerie sauntered past him. Many blocked his path trying to entice him into a lap dance or whatever appetite he wanted to feed. Damon let them down gently, and continued through the club heading to the third floor where he had been thorough frisked before being cleared.

Immediately he spotted her. In the center of the dance floor under hot strobe lights.

Absence made the heart grow fonder but there was the adage out of sight, out of mind. From what he was gathering he fell into the latter category.

Damon wore no discernible expression on his face to give a hint as to his inner emotions or the turmoil presently going through his head at seeing Bonnie with _him. _He was all wrong for her.

Klaus' hand rested too lowly on her hip. The way he stared at her made Damon want to turn his head away and sneer in disgust, but it was his own fault. He allowed Bonnie to slip through his fingers.

A mistake he was now going to fix.

He stood on the sidelines and watched her flit from one person to the next, smiling, dazzling the crowd in that sinful gown she had no business wearing in public. He imagined peeling her out of it and worshipping that body he had taken for granted so many times in the past. What could he say aside from all the typical excuses? He was stupid? A fool? A jerk with a codependency problem who often found himself fixated on the wrong things? The wrong woman.

Damon Salvatore had called himself plenty of names to match the villain he felt he had become in his own life. Still, if he listened to current gossip Klaus and Bonnie's relationship might be running dry. From the looks of things, that might be just another falsehood.

His head tilted in interest when a leggy blonde made her way over to the couple. Damon kept his gaze locked firmly on Bonnie and noticed the euphoria drain from her face.

Telling. Indeed.

Naturally Damon couldn't hear what they were saying. The distance too great, the music too loud, but from what he could piece together, the blonde wanted to borrow Klaus who looked reluctant to leave Bonnie whose face became pinched.

A smirk curved Damon's bottom lip. An insecurity exposed to which he would wield to his advantage.

Klaus turned to Bonnie and argued his case, but Bonnie didn't look placated in the least. Her face evened out but Damon wasn't fooled by that. She was mightily pissed but was using everything in her reserves not to be, to not show an ounce of weakness or being bothered or threatened.

Damon flicked his eyes to the blonde who appeared impatient, but also secretly thrilled her request was causing a tiff between the happy couple.

Damon took a step out of the shadows and stood under the beam of one of the halogen lights. And it was at that moment Bonnie happened to look in his direction.

He saw her breath literally hitch and the color subsequently drain from her face. The missing years, the distance between them seem to shrink and evaporate, leaving the both of them exposed like a nerve. But then in the next second, she took a restorative breath even while every tiny hair on her body rose to the heavens. The door was being slammed shut and without warning, Bonnie spun in her heels and disappeared through the crowd.

* * *

The Prince of Thieves stood off to the side for once not imitating Dionysus in a ribald display of getting drunk to his gills. Besides, he made a promise to be on his best sober behavior. To get out of the doghouse he would reframe from helping himself to the endless malt liquor, champagne, or hard whiskey flowing freely. He was parched and water, sadly, wasn't quenching his thirst.

For most of the night, Remy Lebeau braced his back up against a wall and had pulled out a deck of cards, shuffling them in his hands as he watched the revelers in their finery drink and toast one another for raising money for being rich and fabulous. He snorted and ignored the tingling in his fingertips to pick a few pockets.

He caused quite a scene the moment he entered Club Hellfire as was his intent. There were suits who wore men and men who wore suits and he fit into the latter category. From his pants to his dress shirt to his tuxedo jacket everything fit over Remy's trim frame like a glove. His auburn hair was messily styled giving him that just-rolled-out-of-bed look that made fingers itch to push his bangs out of the way. Remy didn't shave his five o'clock shadow since it only enhanced his overall handsome face plenty of women had been throwing bold and surreptitious glances at all night.

Physically he was present in the moment, but mentally he was back in his apartment he shared with his best friend Bonnie warning her not to be a doormat. Reminded her she was well within her right to be mad and suspicious of Klaus because he was invariably keeping something from her.

Her dress and accompany jewelry had been a bribe from her dickwad of a boyfriend. The only way Klaus knew how to apologize was by showering Bonnie with gifts she would secretly turn around and donate away.

It went without saying that Remy butted heads with Klaus Mikaelson only because Klaus felt threatened by his friendship with Bonnie and that's all it boiled down to. But he knew not to get in the middle and force Bonnie to make a choice. His personal feelings about Klaus aside, Remy would never begrudge his belle any level of happiness even if the source was a canker sore.

Remy Lebeau saw her approaching and welcomed her with a cinematic smile. Bonnie in earnest tried to return it, but her lips quivered and she felt her legs give out momentarily. Luckily she had reached her best friend and clasped his arm. Remy's brow furrowed—his strangely maroon colored eyes narrowing as he wrapped an arm around Bonnie's waist to steady her.

"Had a few too many, non?" he asked in that teasing Creole accent of his.

"I'm fine," Bonnie lied and then stood rigidly next to him.

The truth of the matter was Bonnie was pissed and shell shocked. Pissed because Caroline Forbes, Klaus' ex was monopolizing his time, and shell shocked because _her _ex was here.

What the _hell _was Damon Salvatore doing San Francisco?

"I can tell when you're upset 'bout something, chere. I've known you the longest out of everyone in this room. The night is nearly over and then you can have Remy all to yourself. That's what you really want, isn't it?" he toyed shamelessly.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. Remy and Marie, his girlfriend had been together for years—off and on. Right now they were going through a bit of a rough patch, but it didn't seem to matter what state his relationship with Rogue was in; he never passed up an opportunity to make an innuendo. Remy was a notorious charmer and flirted with anything in a skirt. His frat boy ways was one reason out of many in why he and Marie were estranged.

"We both know that if I wanted to get you alone, it wouldn't be difficult," Bonnie said.

"Seriously what's wrong?" Remy inquired and leaned his shoulder into the wall.

"One of my skeletons has returned," she confided.

Remy's eyebrows got lost under the flap of auburn hair that hung over his forehead. "Be more specific, chere because you have a lot of skeletons."

He received a sharp hit to his arm for that. "The big one," Bonnie hissed and unconsciously her gaze went back to the crowd—scoping. She couldn't believe he was here.

The Cajun didn't need anymore letters in the alphabet to be turned over in order to solve the puzzle. There was only one person who could rattle Bonnie like this and she was definitely rattled.

"So that salaud shows his face," Remy spat and shook his head. "After all this time."

Bonnie opened her mouth to retort but her words flat lined the second a warm hand slid across her back.

At first she gasped and seconds later that gasp almost became a moan. He still knew just the right way to touch her to elicit the kind of response he wanted, and that pissed her off even more.

Bonnie whirled around to face the culprit. Remy stood to his full height ready to lay Damon out on the carpet should Bonnie give the signal.

For just a second everything dissolved into the background. There was no music. There were no people milling around. It was just he and she. Them. In their own bubble. Saying 'Hello, I missed you' with their eyes.

Staring at someone shouldn't make you want to look away because they were too stunning to behold, but that was exactly how Damon was feeling. Bonnie was still her. Still that bright-eyed girl, but there was something soulful about her now. Mature and graceful. His heart quickened in his chest, and he felt his pulse throbbing in _every single_ vein and artery.

Damon's voice shattered the spell and brokered no argument, "We need to talk." His hand retreated and cupped her wrist and pulled.

Remy caught Bonnie by her other arm. "This sonofabitch has nothing to say to you."

"No," Bonnie countered, "this sonofabitch does." She faced Damon. "You have five minutes."

* * *

This boring music coupled with the endless chatter only augmented his crankiness. Embittered the night started off promising with his head buried between his gorgeous girlfriend's thighs, their cataclysmic humping did little but place a Band-Aid on top of their latest disagreement.

Klaus hated being at odds with Bonnie because when things were good he felt like more than a king of the world, but a god among men. It wasn't just the sex that he loved about them, but the fact he had never bonded with anyone the way he bonded with Bonnie. He cracked open his shell and exposed pieces of himself no one outside of his brother and sister during their childhood had seen. Now lately they had been getting into skirmishes where she, go figure was the leading antagonist, or had now adopted that role.

Because of him.

Klaus understood her frustration in that he kept things from Bonnie because really she didn't need to know every little thing. And those secrets he was sheltering would only hurt her if she became aware of them. Bonnie mistook it as sign that he didn't trust her, and didn't take their relationship as seriously as she did. Hardly the truth

It was because he took their love so seriously was why he worked behind the scenes relentlessly to ensure she would never have to worry about his misdeeds of the past affecting her.

There were things about him he _never _wanted them to see the light of day because if Bonnie knew the type of man he was, he would lose her. And that wasn't going to fucking happen.

His choices of concealment weren't being helped with his ex popping up every time Klaus had an evening planned with Bonnie.

She stormed off and he had a mind to go after her, but he needed to put a nail in this coffin and hammer it in Caroline's head that there was zero chance of reconciliation between them.

A glint flashed in his hooded aqua eyes that made Caroline gulp and take a step back.

"Wait," she said.

"I thought I made myself perfectly clear, Caroline, and yet here you are."

"I know how this looks but what I have to talk to you about is actually important."

"Not as important as the warning I gave to you the last time we 'conveniently' ran into each other."

"Don't make me out to be some kind of stalker, Klaus. If memory serves me right, _you _were the one who pursued me even while knowing I had a boyfriend whom I happened to be very much in love with."

He grinned then but there was nothing warm or fuzzy about it. "And how quickly you turned your back on that love at the first sign of danger because you wanted to do something scandalous if my memory serves _me _correctly," Klaus closed the gap between them and whispered in her ear while looking straight ahead. "You got what you wanted out of it and why you continue to pester me, well only you know that. My dick is off the market and you and I have nothing else to say to one another. I will have no problems bankrupting your ex, whom I know you still love, to sell this warning to you, Caroline. Have a good life while it lasts."

Backing away from the now distraught looking woman, Klaus went in pursuit of his girlfriend.

* * *

"_Mind telling me what the fuck is going on?"_

Like a vacuum once he entered the room with a perfectly timed disruption that prevented her from doing something tremendously stupid, all the air from her lungs rushed out and she found herself choking for a single breath.

Dizziness overwhelmed Bonnie and instead of swooning because of the massive blood rush to her head, she steeled her spine and faced her boyfriend head on.

His gaze however was pinned to her ex who truly wasn't an ex in the traditional sense of the word. Rolling around on whatever surface was available didn't constitute—in her mind—as a stable relationship built on the foundation of trust, accountability, love, or mutual respect. But the fact of the matter was: two men who've seen her naked and had their fingers and mouths on her secret places were sharing the same space with her caught in the middle.

The tension automatically switched from sexual to territorial. Both men took the others measure unimpressed by what stood before them.

Right when Bonnie opened her mouth to explain he hadn't really walked in on what he had been about to walk in on, Damon beat her to the punch.

"I think you're smart enough to figure out _exactly _what's going on."

"No!" Bonnie jumped in when she saw the subtle change in Klaus. Saw how his eyes lightened from aquamarine to arctic blue, and his hand curled into a fist while his body slumped into a fighting stance. "We were talking…"

"Love," Klaus bit out. "Give us a minute."

"No, I'm not leaving so the two of you can go at it. This is not going to turn into a brawl because nothing," and Bonnie purposely turned her gaze on Damon, "was going to happen."

"You're right," Klaus concurred, eyes never once budging from the other man. "I don't need to go toe-to-toe with an asshole to prove that you're mine and that I have you."

Damon smiled charmingly but also viciously. "I had her first and her cherry was _so _sweet, and I plan to taste it again."

And Bonnie closed her eyes because she knew what was coming next.

Both men shot across the short distance that separated them with lightning quickness. Bonnie didn't even bother to scream, but she did jump out of the way to avoid the head on collision.

Klaus and Damon punched each other in the face and stumbled away, equally stunned. Damon felt his nose swelling and though his vision was blurry he was quick to right himself. Klaus opened and closed his throbbing fist and wiped the dribble of blood the prick manage to cause off on the shoulder of his tuxedo jacket.

Grunting and lips pulled back exposing teeth the combatants engaged once more. Throwing jabs, blocking punches, and cursing one another violently.

"STOP! You two are being absolutely ridiculous!" Bonnie screamed and dashed out of the room to get help. She sprinted to the hallway and saw Remy jogging to meet up with her.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"They're fighting," Bonnie explained and watched her roommate duck inside where the noise from the scuffle increased.

Remy slammed the door shut after his entry.

Bonnie didn't know how long things may have lasted, but she didn't have any fear about Remy getting hurt. The man was a born fighter, had a natural agility that made him more formidable than he appeared. Pretty he might be on the outside, but on the inside was a gritty bareknuckle brawler who knew when to play dirty.

"All right! Let go! Stop!" Bonnie heard Damon shout.

Just when she made the decision to see the level of damage her ex and her current managed to inflict on one another, the door to the private room flew open. Klaus was the first to speed out, followed by Damon with Remy pulling up the rear.

Physically they looked no worse for wear, but the mutilation had been exacted on their pride and ego no less.

"Klaus," Bonnie said and ran up to him, but he dodged her and barreled down the hall.

"Get her home, Remy," Klaus ordered without a backwards glance.

"Keep walking," the man in question shoved Damon in the back when he slowed his steps trying to get Bonnie's attention.

But Damon shoved Remy right back, and approached Bonnie who stopped walking.

He looked into her eyes, picked up her hand and pressed something into it. "I'm sorry."

Damon kissed her cheek and walked off.

Remy made sure the man boarded the elevator before turning to face his roommate. "Don't fall for his shit, Bonnie. You already have enough on your plate to deal with."

She did. And now she had something else. Klaus needed her. Yet what Damon placed in her hand could change everything. But would she let it?

Outside, Bonnie saw Klaus speaking heatedly with a valet. She hiked up the hem of her gown so she wouldn't trip as she sprinted up to him. Grabbing him by the arm, wordlessly Bonnie cupped the back of his neck, pulled him down and sealed her mouth over his. At first he was unresponsive to her ministrations but little by little the tension left his shoulders and he hungrily kissed her back, possessing her mouth in the way he had perfected.

When their lips parted the dazed expression that had clouded her boyfriend's visage remained there but a tiny smile teased his lips.

"Is this your version of breaking up with me?" Klaus pondered and steeled himself for a response.

No matter what happened he had seen the way Bonnie stared at that man—her ex. It was an image Klaus was sure would be permanently itched in his mind, but he needed to know something else first. "Or are you finally ready to give me an answer to the question I posed to you earlier tonight? I think I've earned a response."

Bonnie pressed her forehead into Klaus' chin and then looked up at him. No, she didn't have an answer.

Chapter end.

**A/N: Time to vote again. So what did Klaus ask Bonnie? A) To move in together. B) To marry him. C) Start a family. Second part. What did Damon place in Bonnie's hand? A) The keycard to his room. B) A memento that belonged to her that went missing that was very important. C) Something personal Damon said he would never part with. Thanks, loves for participating and of course reading. Until next time! Love you. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello, loves! Thanks once again to those who participated in the vote and are continuing to read this story! XOXO. This time around I didn't have to make any executive decisions on what would happen when it came to tallying up the scores. They spoke for themselves. Read on to find out how. Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended. (Remy Lebeau belongs to Stan Lee/Marvel Comics)

* * *

Bonnie clutched the necklace in her palm, the links in the chain digging unmercifully into her flesh that was sure to leave marks. She didn't have time to study it between the time she stood in the hallway reassuring Remy she was fine and running outside to stop Klaus from leaving. Tonight like most of their nights in the last two weeks hadn't gone off according to plan. Things felt like they had been on the verge of unraveling.

The feeling doubled in spotting Damon in a crowded casino in a place far from home. Hearing him say he loved her twisted Bonnie's mind with illusions that would only end up costing her emotionally. The past was the past and played its part in her life. Yet unfinished business had a way of napalming carefully constructed bridges and psychological skyscrapers leaving her in rubble.

She didn't want to divert to that self-conscious girl who would have done anything to be loved or noticed by the man she had foolishly put on a pedestal. That Bonnie, current Bonnie stuck deep in a closet and deliberately tossed away the key. There was no denying that the universe by way of an excavation team unearthed one of her less than stellar encounters.

And what Damon gave her, only seemed to mock her.

Opening her clutch, Bonnie dumped the necklace inside.

She snuggled closer to Klaus despite being privy to the fact he was still furious, as he rightfully should be. As a man who lived, breathed, ate, fucked with intensity his silence was only the precursor of the storm to come. He could make her feel big and small, more than he needed or deserved, and then disappointingly as if she weren't enough.

Thankfully the times he made her feel good far outweighed the times Bonnie had to take a step back and question just what in hell was she doing. And he definitely didn't treat her like a side piece.

She needed that. Needed that balance of independence but also belonging, and Klaus offered that to her, but sometimes Bonnie wondered if he did so at a price.

They were together and for the most part happy, but from the time they met, Bonnie always sensed a dark cloud hung over his head. One he liked to ignore was even there, and one he would fixate on when he thought she wasn't looking.

Bonnie understood that a man in his position needed discretion, disclosure, and anonymity as not to be taken advantage of. Sometimes though, she wished Klaus would take off the mask with her. To trust her to let her see what really kept him up at night.

Her vices were plentiful as well. There were days where emotionally she just wanted to check out and not be bothered. Would hide behind a fabricated smile, and question if she were cut out to be a worthwhile person because the faith in herself simply wasn't there. Her own emotional disconnect with herself would consequently spill over into her interpersonal relationships, but since she surrounded herself with people who had her back, Bonnie never remained in her funk for too long.

Klaus had been instrumental in helping Bonnie work toward her goal of self-enlightenment.

He drew her closer and Bonnie let out the breath she had been holding since climbing into the limo with him. The tension, however, never fully evaporated.

Streetlights intermittedly illuminated the back of the stretch luxury vehicle. The weight of his arm slung over her shoulder made her shiver periodically as she curled her fingers around his.

Lips began to nibble along her hairline. "My answer…love."

Bonnie shot Klaus a sidelong glance. "I'm withholding an answer because the context in which the question had been asked, out of a sort of desperation made the offer feel like blatant manipulation."

"My asking you to move in with me is me manipulating you?" the befuddlement was heavy in his voice.

Twisting on the seat to better look her boyfriend in the face, Bonnie clarified her point, "You asked when we were in in the middle of a fight about you keeping things from me. You expect me to take your proposal seriously on top of the fact we've only been dating for four and a half months? We just said the big three to each other only a week ago; and now you want us to move in together? I'm sorry but I don't work as fast as you do."

Klaus shrugged sheepishly but it wasn't a sign of his defeat. When need be he was above all a patient man, and Bonnie was worth the wait. But admitting wrongdoing that was a bitter pill he was struggling with swallowing.

"I can concede I may have been a bit hasty, but it doesn't change the very real fact that when I imagine my future I see you in it, Bonnie, and that's not manipulation. I see you as my partner, the better half of myself."

Her heart melted. Though he was guilty of being evasive, Bonnie couldn't deny Klaus was very frank about his feelings in regards to her.

"But when you're upset with me, accuse me of things," his tone darkened as well as the color of his eyes, "it dredges up the part of me that only cares about retaliation, and I _don't _want to be that way with you."

Bonnie whispered softly, "And that part of you, it scares me."

"I scare myself. Just know when that side of me comes out to play it's not because I want to hurt you…well not entirely…but it's a defense mechanism therapy has failed to correct or alter."

The hair on the back of Bonnie's arms rose. Klaus needed control and being controlled was a trigger for Bonnie that often made her want to run. And she had run from him when the pressure became too much, things had gotten too intense. He took her running as a direct result of his shortcomings and things became messy until they were both ready to reconcile. He understood that to be near him meant you came with a certain amount of strength to which his girlfriend possessed. Unequivocally, she was still young—six years his junior, and dealing with a man who was a little set in his ways.

Klaus shifted on the seat making the leather squeak. "So that bloke I got into it with tonight…is he going to be a problem? If so I can happily kick his ass again."

"No he won't be and I'm completely pissed at the both of you for even stooping to that level in the first place," she scolded. "I don't need guys getting into fights over me. That shit doesn't turn me on, Klaus."

"I won't apologize for trying to defend your honor. He disrespected you."

"And I should have been the one to correct that, and I would have had you not thrown the first punch."

"Technically we both threw at the same time," he elucidated and unconsciously flexed his aching hand. It had been years since he engaged in fisticuffs with someone besides his personal trainer. "But you shouldn't have to deal with an asshole when I'm around. He got off easy and he should be thankful," Klaus sneered.

"You're not out of the doghouse yet so don't get comfortable. What did Caroline want?" Bonnie righteously folded her arms over her chest and eyed the bruise forming on her boyfriend's cheek.

"I don't know. Had you waited you would have seen me dismiss her for the last time," he replied haughtily.

"You honestly believe she's going to stop finding excuses to get you alone?"

"Caroline is not a problem," Klaus reproached. "She's not the one under some impression that we're going to sleep together in the near future." The two stare unflinchingly at one another. "You…loved that man and he hurt you. I saw it in your eyes."

"That was a long time ago," Bonnie proclaimed swallowing that lump of discomfort down uneasily.

"And funny how feelings we thought were long dead suddenly reappear. Let me be clear about something. I can't promise I won't get into another physical altercation over you, Bonnie, but that doesn't mean I don't have other ways and means in which to fight for what I want. They _aren't_ pretty."

"What ways aren't pretty?" she questioned. Bonnie did what she could not to think about the ways Klaus would make it known he wouldn't accept anyone trying to meddle with her.

How she wished Remy wouldn't have declined riding back with them.

Klaus quickly swiped her cheek with his thumb. "None you need to worry about. Besides, I can't expose all my secrets, can I?"

"One would be useful," Bonnie grumbled.

"I share more with you than I do with anyone else, love. You know the business I'm in. I deal with highly propriety information and what you don't know, trust me is for the best."

Bonnie huffed and rolled her eyes. "I'm not talking about your business, Klaus. I'm talking about you! Why did I have to find out at your sister's birthday party that you had an ex-fiancé?"

Klaus sighed heavily and leaned his head on the padded head rest.

"And not only that, but you're apparently the godfather of her child. To hear her tell it, you two are getting back together any day now, on top of this whole Caroline situation," Bonnie said using air quotations. "Your secrets have breasts and clingy hands."

He didn't want to laugh, but a little snicker escaped which earned him a sharp slap to his arm. "Ow. I've explained and I thought we had moved past it."

Bonnie slid back along the seat and stared out the window. "Have we?"

"Don't pout, love. You know what that does to me."

"Pervert."

Klaus laughed again this time throatily. Bonnie crossed her legs since that sound typically had a very profound effect on her. She didn't move a muscle when Klaus encroached on her personal space eradicating the boundaries between them.

"It simply was perverted what I did to you on this very backseat after our fifth date. How wet I made you. The noises you made. I'm getting hard just thinking about it."

"You're not scoring tonight so you might as well cut it out."

"Come now, love. You wouldn't deny me the opportunity to earn your penance on my knees, back, or feet whichever you prefer, would you?"

Bonnie shifted her gaze to Klaus, their faces impossibly close together. "You'd be surprised on what I'm willing to put you through to show just how serious I am."

"Well, I at least won't have to sleep alone will I?" he smirked.

"Put those dimples away," Bonnie returned her attention to the outside world. "They won't work on me either."

Klaus hummed and the sound vibrated straight to Bonnie's core. "Well, if my charisma, dimples, or need for forgiveness won't soften your heart, perhaps this will."

His fingers crawled slowly up her back and began to knead her shoulders. Bonnie enjoyed his ministrations, and gouged her lip with her teeth when Klaus's hand began to pull up the hem of her gown while his lips took over the job of massaging her tense neck muscles.

Despite the languid way he was making her feel, Bonnie arched her head backward to make eye contact, "You're still sleeping alone tonight."

"Then let me make the most of right now."

Grabbing Bonnie by the hips, Klaus deposited her on his lap, his deft fingers untying the knot of her halter dress. The material fell down and exposed her bare breasts to his hungry gaze. Dipping his head, Klaus circled a dusky nipple until it was a hard bead against his tongue. Bonnie arched her spine, her nails dug into his flesh as she sighed deeply.

Replays of that earlier scuffle were traded for the exquisite feel of her boyfriend's cock hardening along her crotch that was moistening by the second. Two of Klaus' fingers brushed the seat of her panties before pushing it aside and coaxing apart her labia, circling her opening, and sliding into base.

Bonnie's breath hitched and her eyes screwed themselves shut. If she could remember her name and how to spell it by the time they reached her apartment, she would be ahead of the curve.

Klaus watched as his love came undone as he manipulated his soaked digits in and out of her. Sunrises over mountainous valleys were beautiful to behold, but lacked severely in comparison to Bonnie coming.

He took her mouth, his tongue mimicking the movements of his fingers, free hand fisted in her hair. Bonnie rode his hand while he simply drowned in her. Minutes later he exploded in his pants like a prepubescent boy at the same time Bonnie climaxed with him buried knuckle deep in her fluttering, overly wet tunnel.

She convulsed and shuddered. He laughed with male pride and kissed her forehead.

"Still don't want to move in with me?" Klaus intoned, dropping open mouth kisses along her shoulder. "I could wake you up like this every morning. Put you to bed like this every night."

"You're…whoo…ah…what was the question?" Bonnie giggled.

He gave her an indulgent smile, and pushed dampened strands of hair off her forehead. "You're going to agree to one of my proposals one of these days, Bonnie. You can't run from me forever."

"No, I guess I can't," she agreed and kissed Klaus unhinged. "Just hold that thought for a little while longer."

Klaus helped her redress in reverse. Putting her panties back in place, licking his fingers clean of her essence that made Bonnie's inner muscles contract at the sight. He tied the straps of her dress covering those tits he couldn't get enough of.

By the time he was done, the limo had come to a stop outside of her apartment complex.

Klaus walked Bonnie to her door, kissed her goodnight, and strolled back to the vehicle with his hands behind his back, ear-to-ear grin on his whisker covered face.

This time around being in love was fun.

* * *

Freshly showered, Bonnie padded on bare feet to her bureau and fingered the necklace. After coming down from her orgasmic high, Bonnie had stripped and dumped the contents out of her purse, and finally got a good look at what Damon had placed in her hand. Seeing it made her heart constrict.

Out of her peripheral she saw Remy looming between the hallway and her door. She turned to face him taking brief note of his chiseled torso he shamelessly displayed as he paraded around their apartment in a pair of low slung jogging pants.

"You all right, belle?" Remy took a sip of coffee from what Bonnie could smell. Leave it up to him to get a caffeine fix in the middle of the night.

"I am."

Remy cleared the distance between them and flung himself on Bonnie's bed, leaning his back up against the headboard. "You and Megabucks still an item?"

Bonnie laughed at his nickname for Klaus. "We are as far as I know," she made her way to her bed and sat down on the other side. "Tonight was definitely one for the books."

"Yeah," the charmer from New Orleans nodded and took another sip of his beverage. "I just need to know one thing and then I'll get out of your hair."

"What?"

"You don't still have feelings for that _bâtard_ and no I'm not talking about the curly-head one."

"Will you leave my boyfriend alone?"

"I will the moment you leave him."

"Remy," Bonnie chided. "I know you have your issues with Klaus whatever they may be, but do I say anything about the women you flaunt around knowing good and damn well your ass is in love with Marie, but for whatever reason instead of being with her you decide to screw up your own happiness?"

The roommates stared one another down, the muscle in Remy's jaw getting a wonderful workout.

"Point taken," he conceded. "But the beauty of this conversation, petit is it's not about me and my love life. Damon did a number on you and from what I saw when he went toe-to-toe with Klaus…the man is on a mission and refuses to back down easily or walk away empty-handed."

"Too bad," Bonnie spat and fluffed her pillow. "He had his chance and pissed it away. I'm with Klaus now. I don't have to guess at what he feels for me because he lets me know. With Damon it had been nothing but a guessing game."

"A game you played for well over a year," Remy needlessly reminded.

Bonnie poked out her bottom lip. "Not my finest moment. But can any of us say we've lived if we don't have at least one regret?"

"Ask that of someone who doesn't have any."

The young woman brooded over her roommate's statement. "Damon gave me something deeply personal of his tonight."

"Did he?" there was a note of surprise in Remy's words. "What was it?"

Bonnie shook her head. "It…doesn't matter. I'm returning it. It's going to take more than a trinket to make up for the piss poor way he treated me. The way I _allowed_ him to treat me."

"Good," Remy polished off the rest of his coffee, leaned over and pecked Bonnie on her temple. "Get some shut eye, non. You have work in a couple of hours."

"Actually my vacation starts tomorrow so I will be out of the office for the next two weeks," Bonnie beamed.

Remy climbed to his feet and stretched his arms over his head. "I unfortunately can't say the same. Shit," he cursed roughly. "I have to open the dojo tomorrow."

"Are you closing?"

"No, wanna grab dinner?" he asked.

Bonnie snuggled under the covers, "Yeah just call me. Remy?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry you had to get caught up in the middle of Damon and Klaus."

He waved a dismissive hand in the air and then flexed his shoulders. "It's been a while since I kicked a little ass that I'm not personally training. I needed that," he grinned and winked. "Sleep tight, belle."

Remy turned off the bed side lamp plunging the room into darkness. He closed the door after leaving. Bonnie planted her back on the mattress and stared up at the ceiling.

She would do the right thing, return Damon's…gift, and then put him and everything he represented in her life far behind her.

* * *

Finding Damon hadn't been the difficult part. Google was amazing, plus he left a pretty big breadcrumb for her to find him via Twitter. However getting up the courage to hail a cab, cross the city to where his temporary office was located, and exit the cab to enter the majestic building was the part that made Bonnie's heart super speed and her anxiety tighten its grip on her airway.

But this needed to be done.

She needed to let him know that no matter their history it was just that. History. They wouldn't be repeating anything. Not the good, the bad, or the sexual.

Bonnie dressed casually as to deter him from thinking she was here to…to whatever Damon may have been secretly hoping for. Reconciliation was not on the menu, and it would be for the best if they remained distant acquaintances who could be cordial when their paths crossed and nothing more. Denying his existence, though deserved, Bonnie had a challenging time fully expelling those she once cared about from her life. That was her Achilles heel.

She entered 1712 Bay Shore Drive, signed in with the security guard who gave her a visitor badge, and traveled up to the twentieth floor as directed to reach Salvatore Security and Exchanges.

The elevator doors parted open with a swoosh sucking out the last of Bonnie's oxygen as she planted one ankle boot covered foot on the plush carpet.

A woman of mixed heritage smiled pleasantly at Bonnie behind the receptionist desk. "Hi, who are you here to see?" the woman asked.

"Damon Salvatore. Is he in? I don't have an appointment."

"Name?" the woman began typing on a keyboard.

"Bonnie Bennett."

"Oh…I have special instructions to let you right in. Let me page his assistant."

Bonnie smiled even while taken aback that Damon had special instructions where she was concerned. Did that make him cocky to believe she'd show? Nevertheless, Bonnie waited as a quiet conversation took place between the receptionist—Kira her name plate read, and Damon's assistant.

She snapped to attention once Kira hung up the phone. "You're clear to head on back. Just go around to the left, down the hall, make another left, and he's straight back."

"Thanks," Bonnie said and followed Kira's directions where she came to a much wider seating area than the one offered in reception.

The colors complimented the view of the Golden Gate Bridge and Bonnie would have admired it more had Damon not stood in the doorway of his office nonchalantly leaning along the frame surprisingly wearing jeans with a black button down and tie. Casual Mondays?

"Hey," Damon said and gave Bonnie his usual perusal that could make a person feel naked.

She coughed to clear her throat, "Hi."

"Please, come in," he motioned with his head for her to follow him inside, but explained to his assistant whose cubicle was tucked off to the side to hold his calls.

Bonnie brushed past Damon ignoring the scent of his cologne and headed over to one of the two chairs perched in front of his desk. The door closing caught her ear but she refused to turn around.

"This is a surprise," Damon's disembodied voice broke the slightly awkward silence. "I didn't think you'd ever…" he halted once he rounded his desk and saw Bonnie dangling the locket between her fingertips.

"I can't accept this," she informed.

Damon kept his piercing blue eyes on the locket his maternal grandmother had given to his baby sister on the day of her Christening. A locket she wore to the day she was laid to rest after dying at the tender age of fifteen from a brain aneurysm. After family, friends, and her doll collection, what his sister Giada loved most was her locket.

He loved and protected his sister fiercely even when she got on his last nerve. Though she was closer in age with Stefan, Damon had been the one Giada would follow around on her chubby feet once she learned how to operate her legs, and would emulate him in his behavior much to their parents chagrin. She had been the only person in his life at that time to instill all her trust in him. Her death had broken his heart.

Damon had a replica of the necklace made and vowed he would keep it with him always nor give it away. If he did so it would be like relinquishing the last physical detail he had of Giada. In many ways that locket became a symbol of his humanity because the minute his sister died, Damon felt something had been snapped irrevocably in him.

Bonnie had been the only person he ever told about the significance of the locket, which really wasn't worth much but was priceless.

Damon had taken a chance in giving it to Bonnie as a show that he was serious, and not merely pursing her on a whim. But if she were giving it back…

"Bon…"

She hastily interrupted. "I know what this locket means, Damon and I can't accept it. Its message is too heavy and it's never been like that between us."

He finally looked at her then. The expression on her face left him at a loss as to what she may have been thinking behind the words that just flowed out of her mouth.

"If you had given it to me…even a year ago I might have…we can't go backwards so there's no point in me finishing that sentence. What happened between us, happened for a reason and the reason was complete and total bullshit," Bonnie carefully laid the locket on his credenza and took a step back. "Why you're giving this to me when you know I'm not really the person you want to be with only you can say, but I don't need an explanation. I've gotten past that."

"But you do," Damon countered. He rounded his desk once more and stalked toward Bonnie. "You deserve to know, Bonnie. I was young and stupid and didn't know what I had. I let you walk away because I was scared and selfish and thought you'd always be around. I treated you like shit and I'm sorry for that."

Bonnie felt her anger stirring in concordance to old hurt and insecurity. "Yeah you did treat me like shit, Damon! And hearing you say sorry is nice, but it's just not enough."

"I know," he averted his gaze.

"And what you said to my boyfriend about me the other night I should kill you right now for that. You were _way _out of line and vilely disrespectful."

"I was. I just…" he sighed wearily. "I keep fucking up," Damon chuckled mirthlessly and rubbed his jaw. "The part of me that's still an asshole came out. It kills me knowing that you're with someone else and there's not a damned thing I can do about it. I want to be the one you turn to for whatever you need. I want…"

"Just stop," Bonnie side stepped Damon and walked over to the bank of windows. "You want what you can't have and that's all it boils down to."

Damon refuted, "That's not true." He felt his chance of making this right slipping farther and farther out of his hands.

"It's not?" Bonnie spun to face him but the question had been asked with an edge to her tone.

"It's not," Damon replied vehemently. "When you convince yourself you don't deserve someone, you find it difficult to fight against your inner demons who want you to stay fucking miserable because of the way you treated people. I don't need anyone to point out how I treated you or how that made you feel, I _know, _and I hate myself for it_."_

"You should. I was nothing but a depository for your dick."

Damon vigorously shook his head. "Bonnie…I know I didn't show it but you were more to me than that."

"I could tell," she retorted flippantly.

Silence engulfed the room for a minute.

"I was twenty-two and stupid," Damon picked up the argument.

"Don't blame your inability to treat me decently on your age. I've had children treat me with far more respect than you did."

Damon remained mute unable to say anything in his defense because it was true. But he did utter, "I'm sorry."

"When did this revelation come about?" Bonnie inquired tersely. "Because it seemingly took you four years to get an epiphany, an epiphany that's come way too late. I'm happy," she smiled and he saw it in her eyes. "And I don't want to be in this position. I don't _deserve _to now after the fact to be treated as if I'm good enough to be your…"

Damon crossed the room taking Bonnie a bit by surprise with his speed, but also the determination etched on every single crevice of his face. He cupped her face in his hands.

"I want you to listen to me very carefully, Bonnie. I love you."

The woman in question disregarded the pitter patter of her heart, and held firmly to her resolve. Damon wouldn't be getting his way. Not this time.

"I love you," he continued when she didn't interpose. "Me loving you didn't happen overnight but gradually. It's a gradual process that gets renewed every single morning reinforced by the simple fact there's still a chance for us however slim it might be."

Bonnie opened her mouth to protest but she was quieted the second Damon pressed his forefinger against her lips.

"Whenever you would start in on me at first I just wanted to put you over my knee to get you to shut up, but then I slowly began to crave hearing your judginess. I love that dimple that forms over your eyebrow when you're mad or deep in thought, and the fact you blush horribly whenever someone compliments you."

She tried not to smile and settled with a smirk.

"The reasons why I love you, they don't make me entitled to anything, but I'm hoping that it might lead to us to being friends. I wasn't your friend before."

Bonnie squirmed. Out of all the years she had known Damon she _never _heard him speak so candidly and openly about his feelings that it was hard for her not to take him sincerely.

Yet her pride had been stomped on repeatedly by him; her heart tossed aside for what he perceived as a nuisance to his ultimate goal back then.

As much as Bonnie prided herself on letting go of the past, she still carried pieces of it around. The baggage frayed and coming apart. Either she threw it away for good, or she would carry it with her into the afterlife.

But she didn't think being Damon's friend would be such a good idea. Moreover, she said to Klaus that he wouldn't have to worry about Damon as she had no intentions of ever speaking to or seeing him again, and yet here she was. Though her being in his office had more to do with regifting his gift. Would Klaus even bother to see it that way? Would she if the situation were reversed?

Damon could tell Bonnie was mentally weighing things over. His eyes dipped briefly to her lips and he licked his own, but knew hell would freeze over before he got the chance to ever taste them again.

Bonnie overlapped her hands with Damon and pried them off. "I need to go."

He allowed her to slip away, but turned to observe as she headed to the door, her back entirely too straight for someone with a shred of composure. His words _had _affected her.

"I gave you Giada's necklace because I see pieces of my sister in you, Bonnie. And I can convince myself she's still here if the woman who's come to mean more than I anticipated …wears it." Damon proclaimed the minute Bonnie opened his office door. "I wish you could have known her."

A second or two passed before Bonnie iterated though the words were shakily spoken, "Goodbye, Damon."

Bonnie couldn't tell you how she made it down to the lobby, turned in the visitor badge, and hailed herself a cab because the rest of her was still somewhere in Damon's office and an alternate reality.

The words she had longed to hear from him she finally did, but the timing. She clutched her hands tightly together whilst her head pounded. A tear slid down her cheek.

The cab came to a jostling stop at a light. Bonnie took note of her surroundings and when she did she saw they were across the street from Klaus' office. Bonnie debated about asking the cabbie to drive around the corner and let her out to surprise him, but that plan was canceled the moment she saw Klaus step outside headed toward his waiting car and…he wasn't alone.

Chapter end.

**A/N: The choice this time around will be…slightly easy. Who exactly did Bonnie see Klaus with? A) Caroline. B) A family member. C) An unknown person. If you choose C as your response you can write in someone, well you can do so for B&C. I know in my first A/N I said this story would be 2-3 chapters but of course I can't just wrap this up in a wham-bam-thank you-ma'am. I have no set number of chapters, but as I go along I hope the choices will increase in difficulty. Maybe. In addition to voting let me know your other thoughts about this chapter. Thanks for reading, everyone! Love you!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey, kittens. Sorry it took longer than usual to get this out. My muse has been acting stuck up lately not wanting to talk to me, and not just with this story but all my ongoing stories, but she finally gave in. Thank you for your continued participation in this tale. The scores were close once again, so read on to see who it was that Bonnie saw with Klaus. Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: These characters (with the exception of a few) are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Bonnie couldn't make up her mind fast enough. The light turned green and the taxi lurched forward. She twisted in the seat and watched as her boyfriend led his sister, the ever immaculately dressed and perfectly coiffed Rebekah Mikaelson to the waiting car. The two of them were discussing something that had Klaus grinning like an idiot, and that sparked Bonnie's curiosity to hear what they were talking about.

She had no choice but to face forward again once they fell out of her sight range. For a second there her blood had turned to liquid fire because all she had seen was blonde hair and thought it was Caroline. Caroline who had been popping up conveniently whenever Bonnie and Klaus went out to enjoy the San-Fran night life. Had the woman planted a tracking device on her or her boyfriend?

Flicking her wrist to check the time, Bonnie wondered if eleven o'clock was too early to get plastered. Remy would be down if he didn't have to work. Her other friends were balled and chained to their nine-to-five, a part from one. Bonnie quickly dialed her up.

"Do you know what time it is in the gotdamn morning?" bellowed Crixus Oenomaus.

"Yes I do, you prick and it's almost noon. Put Naevia on the phone, please, sir," her shoulders shook with repressed giggles.

Deep male laughter tickled her eardrum and Bonnie practically had to hold the phone away from her ear as Crixus yelled for his wife to hustle her sweet ass to the phone.

There was a muffled exchange and Bonnie was pretty sure Crixus pulled Naevia down to plunder her lips before stuffing his face back into a pillow. He worked nights as a manager at one of the premiere clubs in San Francisco. His day typically didn't start until three in the afternoon.

"Bonnie, what's up?"

"Hey, are you free?"

"I was about to go to my yoga class. What's going on?"

Naevia Oenomaus was a bartender in her spare time but also a published author who wrote historical erotic fiction based primarily during ancient Roman times. She drew her inspiration from her husband who, in his youth, used to be a UFC fighter but had retired due to numerous injuries.

She and Bonnie met when Bonnie and a few friends decided to go bar hopping, and an overly aggressive sales manager wouldn't take no for an answer. Naevia had stepped in to diffuse the situation by shoving the tail end of her Louisville slugger into the guy's face. To show her gratitude, Bonnie had left Naevia a fifty dollar tip. The two struck up a conversation the next time Bonnie frequented the bar where a friendship grew and blossomed over blood and cranberry vodka.

"I just need to talk or better yet not think about something. I know it's too early for drinks, and I'm too restless to go home so the next best alternative is…"

"Well, you know my answer," Bonnie could envision Naevia's smirk.

"Sex," Bonnie filled in the blank. "Unfortunately my man is busy at the moment."

"You and Klaus made up, I'm assuming?"

"We did…kind of. You know it's really unclear."

"If you let him give you an orgasm that means you've forgiven him."

Bonnie smiled ruefully.

"Where are you now?" Naevia asked.

Bonnie took a look at her surroundings. "I'm about five minutes away from my apartment."

"Head on over to Liquid. I can be down there in twenty."

"All right. It's a date."

"Sou—Crixus cease your actions, man," Naevia fussed. Bonnie didn't even want to know what he was doing.

His graveled voice came back on the line. "Since you're stealing my wife for the afternoon, Bonnie, I need to have a few minutes of her time starting now."

The dial tone sounded in Bonnie's ear. She hoped whenever she was ready for marriage her chemistry with her husband would be piping hot and everlasting like Naevia's and Crixus who had been married going on six years.

Tucking her phone back into her purse, Bonnie rattled off her new destination to the taxi driver.

There wasn't a wait for a table when Bonnie arrived at the restaurant. She was shown promptly to a table and ordered two mimosas. She skimmed the menu but looked up periodically searching for any signs of Naevia. Several waiters buzzed around the light crowd refilling drinks, bringing extra napkins, or just pleasantly chatting with customers. Bonnie's mouth began to water for an entirely different reason than breathing in the aroma of cooked gourmet foods.

The waiters at Liquid were all appallingly good-looking but to her misfortune completely gay. One such waiter strolled past her table with the face of a fallen god and winked at her. She smiled in return and just as she was about to resume perusing the menu, she spotted her friend.

Naevia entered the establishment precisely twenty minutes later rocking a pair of boyfriend jeans rolled at the ankles, a knit ivory sweater that hung off one shoulder, and pink suede heels. Her chin length black hair cupped a butterscotch face, and enviable red lips were stretched somewhat into a smile. The two women greeted one another with a hug before taking their seats at the table.

"So you're moping around the city on your vacation?" Naevia began once pleasantries were out of the way. She picked up her glass and sampled a taste of the mimosa, perfectly chilled and sweetened. "I would have thought Klaus would toss you the keys to his jet or something and told him to have fun on him. Both figuratively and literally," she grinned.

Bonnie rolled her pretty green eyes and placed her order for the brunch special when their waiter returned to their table. She directed her gaze back to Naevia who watched her with glittering coal eyes.

"Not to say he didn't offer that," Bonnie alluded, "but traveling anywhere right now…I don't have it in me. I'm still recuperating from the summer. We went to ten different cities both domestic and abroad in twenty days. I'm exhausted."

"What was up with the speedy trip?" Naevia cracked the complimentary breaded shell of a lobster roll.

"He cancelled a lot of meetings so we could have some semblance of a summer vacation. People might think dating a man who's financially stable…"

"Fucking rich," Naevia interjected.

Bonnie paused before resuming her explanation, "People might think it's a charmed existence and I won't lie and say it's not, but I have to share him with everyone. Klaus goes out of his way to make time for me, but I still feel guilty in a way because he's also making sacrifices when it comes to his career so our relationship can work."

Naevia bobbed her head while chewing. "I can see your point but you're in love and that means making sacrifices from time to time. Don't beat yourself up about it or feel guilty for wanting to spend time with the man. Otherwise what's the fucking point in being with him if you _can't _be with him?" she readjusted herself in the seat. "But you didn't call me to complain about Klaus. What's really going on?"

Luckily their food arrived giving Bonnie a moment to stall and collect her thoughts. She picked up her fork, said a quick blessing, and dove into her veggie omelet. Naevia followed suit slicing into her food.

After chewing and taking a sip of her drink, Bonnie finally answered her friend's question. "This guy I used to be involved with…he's now here in the city. I ran into him the other night at Club Hellfire where he and Klaus got into a fight."

Naevia's eyes widened. "For real? Mr. McSnooty knows how to throw down?"

Bonnie snorted at the colorful nickname for her boyfriend. "Klaus is more than just a suit, Nae."

"Well, this definitely improves my opinion about him. Go on."

"Remy who was with me and Klaus broke up the fight and my old flame, he slipped something into my hand which I returned to him this morning. It was a replica of his sister's locket. She died young of a brain aneurysm. He told me a long time ago it was the most valuable thing he owned and he'd never give it away."

"But he gave it to you…because he wants another shot?"

Bonnie nodded.

Naevia wiped her mouth, "How long ago were you involved with this guy?"

"We've known each other since I was seventeen but didn't start sleeping together until I turned twenty. I haven't seen him in four years."

"It was just sex?"

Again Bonnie nodded.

"Why didn't he want to commit? Don't tell me he was hung up on some other broad."

Bonnie's eyes slid away before dropping to her food. She smiled sadly and lifted her head. "He was obsessed with this girl and because of that every other woman to float in and out of his life was treated like a blow up sex doll. Myself included, shamefully. He and I were sort of acquaintances and hung out every once in a blue moon. But then one night…" she stopped because the memories were much too vivid and was having an effect on her.

Naevia could say her interest was definitely piqued and continued to grow as she observed a flush overcome Bonnie's skin. The trashy novel writer within her reared its head and she wanted to jot down some notes for a future project.

"Then one night," Naevia prodded.

"Then one night he looked at me in a different way, my clothes came off, and I was sprung," Bonnie shrugged sheepishly.

"C'mon, you gotta give me more details than that, Bon. What happened?"

"Naevia, I don't want to go there. I'm with someone else and it almost feels treasonous to even think about that jerk from my past."

Naevia decided to back down. She didn't want to push Bonnie or make her uncomfortable yet it was clear she still wasn't a hundred percent over what happened in the past if she couldn't talk about it dispassionately.

Bonnie didn't say anything for a while. "He says he wants to be friends. Wants to start over."

To that Naevia rolled her eyes. She hated guys who played emotional mind games. If he honestly cared anything about Bonnie he wouldn't have allowed four years to slip by without saying something.

Though Naevia was quiet Bonnie could still feel the heat of her judgment. She chanced a look and sure enough her coal black eyes were steely.

Naevia asked point blank. "Is he your weakness, Bonnie?"

"He used to be."

"Then don't give him that power again. He might have changed and he might not be that prick who treated you like a convenient fuck," Bonnie cringed. Naevia was a very blunt person, "and he might be feeling remorseful about it, but you know the risk is too great to even entertain the idea of being friends. Just put yourself in Klaus' shoes. Would you want him becoming buddy-buddy with a woman he used to bang?"

Bonnie answered with a resolute, "No."

"There you go." Pause. "Crixus and I started off rocky, too," Naevia recapped a story she had told a million times it seemed. Bonnie gave her, her undivided attention. "He was involved with a married woman and I didn't know it at the time."

"Wait…Crixus did what now?"

Naevia smiled tentatively. "Before he started working at Annex he used to be head of security over at Liegemen and Associates. Crixus hated John Liegemen, Esquire who of course was his boss so he decided to seduce the missus. He and I met when I was leaving their law office one day after speaking with my attorney. This was right at the time I was publishing my first book and wanted someone to look over my contract.

"Crixus asked me out and I blew him off. But he made it a point to direct me upstairs personally whenever I came and then I found myself coming up with stupid reasons to head to my lawyer just so I could get my fix. Finally the brute wore me down. We started dating and somewhere in between he must have cut off Laura Liegemen because she started following us causing all sorts of shit.

"Crixus spent the night in jail after assaulting a man who later confessed to being paid by that bitch to attack him. Her goal was to have Crixus call on her to bail him out so she could use that as leverage to get him to resume their relationship. This mess became a scandal because John Liegeman was a pretty big deal here. But after this all came about, he filed for a divorce and relocated. Crixus had to file a restraining order on Laura and then three months later…she committed suicide."

"Oh, wow," Bonnie murmured, speechless.

"I'm kind of shamed but not ashamed to say I used that whole ordeal for my second book which has turned out to be my number one best seller. Go figure," Naevia placed her elbow on the table and looked Bonnie directly in the eye, "I'm telling you all this to say never leave something unfinished. You may have a good thing going with Klaus now but whatever is lurking in the shadows can come out of hiding and bite you stupendously on the ass. If this guy from your past still has any kind of hold on your emotions, you need to break it off for good because you don't know what he may do to try to get you back. But most importantly, let Klaus know."

Bonnie knew that and still her stomach cramped uncomfortably at the thought. Naevia was right, though.

The two abandoned talks of relationships to catch up on other shit.

* * *

**The following week…**

Looking at him one wouldn't have thought he hadn't slept in the last seventy-three hours. Surviving off a deadly mix of Redbull, bourbon, Skittles, and the occasional stick of gum, Damon ran his jittery fingers through his tousled obsidian locks only for them to fall messily back into place. He declined the offer of his untouched plate of food to be exchanged for something else, and blinked _hard _to chase away the blurriness of his vision.

He hadn't been able to focus since Bonnie came to his office and practically threw his sister's locket back into his face and politely told him to fuck off. Granted he earned it, but a sick feeling grew in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't shake no matter what.

Damon's jaw loosened when he saw the woman of his persistent thoughts saunter through the restaurant with a Tom Hardy clone walking protectively behind her. The man said something to Bonnie that made her head crane backwards gifting him with that mega- watt smile. A smile he hadn't seen in four years and one she never really bestowed on him not like he had been worth a damn for her to smile so openly toward him.

He didn't need to question why she was here. The body hugging dress, hair, makeup said it all.

Knowing his window of time to act was short, Damon slapped a hundred dollar bill on the table, rose, buttoned his jacket and headed to Bonnie's table the second her guard dog vacated the premises.

Her head was down studying the menu and slightly averted away from him as he approached from the left.

Damon gently touched her shoulder. She didn't flinch against his touch probably assuming he was her boyfriend, a man Damon had been digging whatever information aka dirt he could on Niklaus Mikaelson. Her warmth seeped from the white fabric of her dress and ignited the palm of his hand.

Bonnie looked up, her ready smile fading into a scowl. "What are you doing here?" she covertly began looking around.

Damon boldly pulled out the adjacent chair and sat down. Bonnie shifted, scooting farther away from him. She gave him a once-over, her eye narrowed at the corner. Damon was a wreck. That much she could tell by the dark circles under his red-tinted eyes, messy hair, and the stubble surrounding his jaw leading all the way to the collar of his shirt. One of the few intimate things Bonnie knew about Damon was that he battled with insomnia. She told herself she didn't care he wasn't sleeping.

"Hello," Damon said.

"Seriously, Damon…are you following me?"

"No, I was here first just so you know trying to eat. But c'est la vie I don't have an appetite," he leaned back in the chair. "So is it date night?"

Bonnie ignored him and pushed the chair back from the table to go hideout in the bathroom until Klaus arrived, but Damon's hand on her wrist stopped her.

"Are you trying to tell me without telling me that I can't talk to you now, Bonnie?"

"What do you think?" Bonnie hissed. "My boyfriend will be here any minute and I said everything I'm going to say to you, Damon. Now please, _leave_."

Seeing he wasn't going to win her over and coupled with the knowledge if he were to bring out his inner caveman at the sight of her boyfriend, Bonnie wouldn't ingratiate herself to hear him out. With little choice but to comply with her wishes despite feeling the fogginess that had been clouding his brain lifting just from this simple, tension-filled exchange, Damon dug into the breast pocket of his jacket and withdrew a business card.

He smoothly slipped it into Bonnie's hand when he picked hers up and laid a kiss on her knuckles. She had his office information but not how to reach him directly.

Damon rose from the table, gaze never wavering from Bonnie who glowered at him. He smirked in spite of the glare beaming from her orbs feeling considerably lighter than he had in days. Damon traced the shell of her ear with his thumb, which caused the muscles under Bonnie's face to relax. He knew it was one of the places she liked to be touched. She might have assumed he never paid much attention to her, and he was guilty of that to a certain extent, but Damon had unbridled knowledge about the sensitive places on her body that could turn her into a puddle of goo.

He stepped away and the air conditioned coolness of the restaurant slammed into Bonnie. She rubbed her ear on her shoulder in a poor attempt to erase Damon's touch.

Damon made it five paces before slowing his steps when he spotted Klaus headed straight for Bonnie's table.

The two men adopted subtle territorial expressions once their gazes connected. Klaus' nostrils flared and his lips puckered into displeasure. The fumes of jealously began to permeate the air.

As the distance between them shrank and they were mere inches from crossing one another's path, Klaus stopped. Damon kept walking, smirk still in place. He winked at Klaus and kept strolling toward the door.

Klaus dug in his pocket and sent a curt text message to Rhys, Bonnie's personal bodyguard to follow Damon. He joined his girlfriend at their table doing his best to put a smile on his face but he didn't quite pull it off. The muscles needed were too tense for that.

Bonnie took one glimpse at his hard features. "I know what it looks like and it's not how it looks. He was here before I arrived and came over to say hello."

"Well," Klaus reached for Bonnie's hand, the one Damon kissed, "so long as he keeps his interactions with you short and to the point until they stop altogether which should be now, we won't have any problems."

Bonnie said nothing. She leaned forward and kissed Klaus who didn't waste a minute in taking over making a meal of her mouth that made every individual hair stand on end. When they pulled apart her cheeks were rosy as well as his, and the boyish grin on his face was too adorable that Bonnie giggled.

"I missed you," Bonnie spread the linen napkin over her lap.

That made Klaus' chest and head swell. Both heads if he were to be honest. But he decided to mess with her. "You saw me not four hours ago. What could you possibly miss?"

"Don't act like you aren't flattered."

"Oh, I am, love. I was especially flattered when you showed up at my office wearing those garter and heels. I should send my thanks to La Perla."

Bonnie moved her chair closer. "If you're a good boy tonight I might let you play find the hidden treasure," she winked.

The skin under Klaus' collar grew hot and he pulled at his tie.

Ever so infinitesimally Bonnie's gaze wondered over to the woman fast approaching their table. Her brows knitted together in confusion causing Klaus to direct his attention to what had hers so rapt. His stomach dropped to his feet.

Of course the first night he was able to get away from his responsibilities and have dinner with his girlfriend, his ex-fiancé would enter the picture. Fuckin' perfect.

"Klaus…I wasn't sure if it was you and it seems my senses are still accurate when it comes to you."

The man reluctantly rose from the table and greeted Genevieve Laurent with a handshake that suddenly turned her into placing two kisses on his cheeks leaving blatant lipstick stains behind. She turned her body in a way that excluded Bonnie who was glaring at the back of her head but also at Klaus waiting for him to introduce them.

"I didn't know you were back in town," Klaus confided and slipped his hands in his pockets.

The saliva in his mouth that threatened to spill out the corners as he replayed scenes from what took place inside his office with Bonnie whom he hadn't forgotten about, now turned dry.

Bonnie cleared her throat pointedly.

Genevieve turned at the sound and adopted a contrite expression that was more of a conscious act than being authentic. "Oh, excuse me. I didn't mean to be rude," she extended a pale, willowy hand toward Bonnie.

Klaus took several steps until he stood behind Bonnie's chair and pulled it away from the table as he helped her stand. "Bonnie, this is Genevieve Laurent…my ex-fiance. Gen this is my girlfriend Bonnie Bennett."

The two women shook and quickly pulled their hands away. They couldn't be more like night and day. Where Genevieve was tall carrying a model's physique with near waist length titian hair, austere features, Bonnie was petite, bronze skinned with shoulder length black hair.

"Nice to meet you," Genevieve said.

Bonnie deadpanned, "Same."

"I don't want to keep you from your meal. Klaus, my dad told me you haven't RSVP'd to his birthday party. It's coming up in a few weeks."

"I had no intentions of attending, Genevieve," Klaus wrapped his arm around Bonnie's waist, his hand low on her hip.

That hadn't gone undetected by Genevieve who stood a bit taller in her shoes. "If your reason for standing up my father who still adores your Viking ass, by the way is because you and I called off our engagement…you shouldn't let that stop you. He still views you as a son and my mom would love to see you. Please come," Genevieve fixed her bright blue eyes on Bonnie, pleadingly. "Please convince him to come, Betty. You can, too if you want. The more the merrier."

Bonnie cocked an eyebrow in the air. Was this chick for real? "It's _Bonnie_ and if he doesn't want to go I'm certainly not going to force him to. Klaus is his own man, and I think your dad would understand why he'd want to sit this one out."

Klaus smiled down at Bonnie before gracing Genevieve with his customary glower. "If it's all the same to you, I'd like to get back to my girlfriend. It was nice to see you, Genevieve."

The redhead flashed a here and gone smile. "It was nice to see you too, Klaus. When do you think you might get around to seeing Jordy, he's been asking about you? He misses his godfather."

Klaus' fingers bit into Bonnie's hip. She flinched not only at that but at the reminder Klaus still had a tie to his ex, even if the tie was through her son.

"I'll call him when I have a free moment. But he should be more concerned with getting to know his own father. How is Marcel?" Klaus nearly bit out.

Color flooded Genevieve's features. Marcel and Klaus had been the best of friends until she came along. Composing herself she answered, "Marcel is fine as far as I know. Well, again it was good running into you, and nice meeting you, Bonnie. Klaus, please try to come to my dad's party. He'd be so happy to see you. Good night."

Genevieve floated away. Bonnie and Klaus retook their seats.

"So that was your ex-fiancé," Bonnie picked up her water glass and took a hearty sip. "She's beautiful."

"She doesn't hold a candle to you, love. Let's not allow her impromptu visit ruin our night."

No, Bonnie would let the ghosts from their pasts ruin their night. However, the encounter with Genevieve who still appeared to be in love with Klaus not to mention her own run-in with Damon left Bonnie feeling discombobulated. Her guilt about storing Damon's card away in the bottom of her purse…Bonnie wouldn't say she felt vindicated, but she wasn't the only one who still had some type of tie with her past.

If Klaus' ex-fiancé's family still considered him an extended member did he view them in the same light? Would he always no matter who else came into his life?

* * *

The sound of hard candy in the form of a lollipop smacking into teeth went in time with the click of the camera. Feet shuffled around the lifeless body sprawled out on a dirty, puddle-riddled floor in an abandoned warehouse twenty-five miles south of Chicago. Snapping on a pair of latex gloves, Stefan Salvatore bent at the knees and began to go through the pockets of the recently deceased.

The man had been killed execution style. A single bullet to the back of the head that exited through the forehead. A pool of congealed blood surrounded the man like a gelatin cape. What fluids and human waste that had been in his body at the time of death now soiled his clothes making the stench of decomposing flesh irritatingly unpleasant.

But Stefan had seen bloodier and much more gruesome murders than this. He lifted the victim's wallet from the front left pocket of his coat to find its contents empty save for a photo that had been folded in half. He unfurled it.

Seeing the image of the picture made Stefan take the sucker out of his mouth. For a second he didn't move a single muscle, paralyzed as he was. As his partner drew closer to snoop at what he found, Stefan came out of his stupor and hid the photo from view.

Digging into his own pocket for his cell, Stefan hit a button and speed dialed his boss. "Hey, that problem we were discussing earlier…I think you need to put it into motion."

Chapter end.

**A/N: Now, we didn't think this would be a simple angst/romance piece did we? Something is going on that I'm still working the logistics out. But its decision time once more. Who does Stefan work for? A) Klaus. B) Damon. Thank you for reading! **


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